Samuel l



(No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. L. -POSTER.

ELEGTRIG STOP MOTION FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY.

Patented July 19, 1892 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. L. FOSTER.

ELECTRIC STOP MOTION FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY. No. 479,358. Patented July 19, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL L. FOSTER, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN T. AHRENS, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC STOP-MOTION FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,358, dated July 19, 1892.

Application filed July 29, 1891.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL L. FOSTER, of Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Stop- Motions for Textile Machinery, of which the following is a specification.

The present improvements in stop-motions, while in many respects capable of general application to machinery where automatic stopping on the occurrence of an emergency is desired, is particularly intended and designed to be used in connection with warp -driers. 1n the preparation of yarns orthreads for weaving the individual threads are carried from their individual spools or bobbins through a warping-machine, which groups a large number of threads into a bundle. The number of threads which are thus grouped together depends upon the character of the fabric to be made and the number of warpthreads of the same color which are to be incorporated in the fabric. The warping-machine also determines the length of the threads and in its operation insures the continuity of each thread throughout the entire length of the warp or bundle of threads. After the warp or bundle of threads has been thus grouped together it is then dyed and sized by being passed through a dyeing and sizing machine. In this manner the several threads in the warp or bundle are simultaneously dyed the same color and are sized. The warps or bundles of threads are deposited from the dyeing and sizing machine into a box or other receptacle, which is ordinarily mounted on a truck. This box or other receptacle when filled with warps or bundles of threads is then transferred to a drying-machine. This machine consists of a large number of rotating hollow metallic cylinders or drums, which are heated by steam admitted to their interiors. The warps are passed around and over the several drums or cylinders, and when they emerge from the machine, having been brought in contact with all of the drums or cylinders, they are perfectly dry and ready for the next step of preparation for the looms. Now it frequently happens that knots or tangles or equivalent defects occur in the bundles of threads which are Serial No. 401,026- (No model.)

passed through the drying -macl1ine. knots or tangles offer obstructions to the passage of the bundles of threads over and around the drying-cylinders, and as the tension upon the threads is considerable the result of the presence of such tangles or knots is inevitably to break more orless of the individual threads. Before, therefore, the bundles with such broken threads can be used it is necessary to repair each individual break. As this must be done by hand, it is necessarily a laborious and tedious work, since it involves the examination of all the individual threads in the bundle (which may be and usually are several hundred in number) at the point where the tangle or knotoccurs, and the several broken threads must be fastened together by hand. The breaks also are oftentimes so numerous and so serious as to result in the entire loss of the bundle of threads in which the break occurs.

Now the main purpose for which the present improved stop-motion is designed is to detect the occurrence of such tangles, knots, or equivalent defects in the warps or bundles of threads and to automatically stop the movement of the drying-machine before the defective part reaches the initial drying-cylinder.

The improved stop-motion devices consist of three groups of parts. The first of these groups consists in defect-detecting mechanism, which is operated by a defect occurring in the material acted upon in the machine to which the stop-motion is applied. The essential and characteristic feature of the defectdetecting mechanism is an electric circuitcontroller, which is operated on the occurrence of a defect in the material, so as to change the normal condition of an electric,

circuit. The second group of devices consists in the mechanical stopping mechanism, which on being set in operation effects the automatic stoppage of the machine to which the stop-motion is applied, and the third group of devices consists in the electric devices, comprising a generator, an electric circuit which is controlled by the circuit-controller of the detecting mechanism, and an electroreceptive device which sets in operation the stopping mechanism.

Such

The improved stop-motion is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view (partly in the nature of a diagram) of the presentimprovements. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are views in detail of the defectdetecting mechanism.

In the drawings the drying-machine itself is not illustrated, since the construction of such drying-machines is old and well known, and the instrumentalities constituting the present invention need not have any special location relatively to the drying-machine, except that there must be space enough between the location of the defect-detecting mechanism and the point at which islocated the leading-in guide of the drying-machine to insure that a suflicient length of time shall elapse while the warp or bundle of threads is passing between these two points to give opportunity for the stopping mechanismto stop the machine. The defect-detecting mechanism, which is operated by the occurrence of a defect in the bundle of threads, is supported by a frame A, and this frame should be located sufficiently far (say about fifteen feet) from theleading-in guide, the position of which is indicated at a in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The frame A is suitably and preferably located in an elevated position in the apartment in which the drying-machine is located and may be conveniently suspended from the ceiling or roof of such apartment. This frame comprises in its construction a horizontal bottom B, two vertical bars 0 C, and a cross-bar D, connecting the bars C C at their top. In the bottom B is formed a guide-opening I), through which warps or bundles of threads pass upwardly from the receptacle holding said bundles as they come from the dyeing or sizing machine. From this lower entranceguide I) the wraps or bundles of threads pass upwardly through guide-openings c c in a vertically-movable slide E. Ordinarily two warps or bundles of threads are conducted side by side through the drying-machine, and accordingly two guides c c are shown in the slide E. From the upper guides c c the warps or bundles of threads pass downwardly, as indicated in Fig. 1, to the leading-in guide or guides a of the drying-machine. The slide E, carrying the upper guides c c,is vertically movable and adjustable in order to adjust the tension upon the warps or bundles of threads, it being evident that the more acute the angle at which the warps or bundles of thread pass over the guides c c the greater will be the tension. To enable the slide E to be vertically adjusted,its vertical edges are located in vertical guide-grooves d d on the inner faces of the upright bars 0 O. A cord F is attached to the slide, extends over guidepulleys e and f, and is fastened at any desired point by a cleat g or in any similar manner. By drawing down or paying out the cord F the slide may be raised or lowered, asdesired. The guides 12 a c are preferably bushed with porcelain rings h to reduce friction.

In passing between the entrance-guide b and its tension-guide 0 each warp or bundle of threads passes through a guide carried by a circuit-controller of the defect-detecting mechanism. This circuit-controller consists of a movable and adjustable forked lever G, which is pivoted at one end to a bracket j, carried by the frame A. This lever G has two parallel separated arms '1; i at its free end, the open space between said arms constituting the guide on the circuit-controller through which the material acted upon passes in its path between the guides 12 0. Normally the forked lever G occupies a horizontal position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, with its arms '5 flying across the entrance guide-opening b. The two arms 1' 1' are parallel to each other and are adjustable to and from each other, so as to accommodate the size of the guide-space between them to the size of the warp or bundle of threads passing between them. This adjustment is eflected by pins 7c, fixed to one arm a and passing through holes in the other arm, so that the second arm can be moved to and from the arm carrying the pins, and the movable arm is fixed in any desired position by set-screws ll. The arms of the forked lever G are so adjusted that the warp or bundle of threads ordinarily runs freely between the same and with little or no friction in passing from guide I) to guide 0. Should, however, there be a knot, tangle, obstruction,or equivalent defect in the warp or bundle of threads, such defective part would not pass through the guide formed by the space between the arms of the forked lever, but would cause the forked lever to be swung upwardly, say, to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. At their lowermost position the guide-openings c c are preferably so located that they are above the open guide of the circuit-controller G, so that as the circuit controller is lifted the warp or bundle of threads frees itself and its defective part from the guide, so that the circuit-controller is not damaged by the onward travel of the warp or bundle of threads. The guides 19 and 0 should in any case be separated from each other far enough so that the circuit-controller between them may have suflicient movement (when operated upon by a knot, tangle, or similar enlargement in the warp) to insure the change in the normal condition of the electric circuit. These guides b and a further insure the travel of the warp in a'definite path through the open guide of the circuit-controller.

In order that the forked lever G, constituting the circuit-controller, may operate easily upon the occurrence of a defect, it is over-. balanced by a weight H, which is connected with the forked lever by a cord m, passing over a guide-pulley n on a vertical bar attached to the frame A. The weight of the forked lever G being lessthan that of the weight H, the lever G would thus be maintained in its abnormal vertical position. So, in order IIO that the lever G may be held and maintained in its normal horizontal position, it is grasped ator L and an electro-receptive device, (such as electro -magnet M,) which controls the stopping mechanism for stopping the motion of the drying-machine. In the drawings the electric circuit is illustrated as a normallyopen circuit. It is obvious, however, that a normally-closed circuit might be employed, the transposition of these two classes of circuits being obvious electric equivalents. For co-operation with the normally-open electric circuit the circuit-controlling lever G carries a wedge-shaped circuit-breaker I, of insulating materials uch as hard rubber-which in the normal horizontal position of the fork G is located between and separates the two spring-plates J K, which are utilized as electrodes and which constitute the two terminals of the electric circuit, which includes the electric generator L and the controlling electro-magnet M. When, therefore, the lever G occupies its normal position, the circuit is open. WVhen, however, the lever G is raised by the action of a knot, tangle, or similar defoot, the breaker I is displaced from between the electrodes J and K, which thereupon spring into contact with each-other, and thus close the electric circuit. The electric connections for the two circuit-controlling levers G G are as follows: From one pole of the generator a wire 1 leads to one of the electrodes J and a branch wire 2 leads to the other electrode J. A return-wire 3 leads from one of the electrodes K to the opposite pole of the generator and a branch wire at connects the other electrode K to the return-wire 3. The several sets of electrodes are thus connected in multiple with the generator, so thatwhichever fork is lifted the circuit through the magnet M will be closed. When the defect in the warp or bundle of'threads is remedied, the lever G is pulled down between the electrodes J K, thereby opening the circuit, and the machine is set in operation.

The electro-magnet M controls the stopping mechanism of the drying-machine. The stopping mechanism is mounted on a frame N, which is located in any convenient position. On it is mounted a sprocket-wheel O, which is adapted to be connected by a sprocket-chain to any rotary part of the dryingmachine or to any convenient shafting. The shaft 0 of this sprocket-wheel O carries a crank 13, which is connected by aconnectingrod 3 to a reciprocating bar P, which reciprocates in a predetermined path in guides on the. frame N. This bar is thus a constantly and uniformly reciprocating bar.

Q is a sliding rod sliding in suitable guides on the frame N, which is moved in one directionby a spring R and in the opposite direction by a handle t, connected with one end of the rod. The rod Q is connected at its opposite end by a cord or chain to, passing over suitable guide-pulleys to the operating-lever o of a stop-cock located in the steam'supply pipe .8, which supplies steam to the motor which operates the drying-machine. When the sliding rod Q is moved in the direction of arrow 5 by the handle 25, the stop-cock is opened. WVhen, however, the rod Q is moved by spring R in the opposite direction, (indicated by the arrow 6,) the stop-cock is closed by a spring to, acting upon the lever 12. Instead of operating to close a supply-pipe, the rod Q may control a belt-shifter, as indicated in Fig. 1. In this figure 00 a: are fast .and loose pulleys on the operating-shaft of .the drying-machine. T is a sliding belt-shifter, which is connected to the rod Q by cord or chain to. Vhen rod Q moves in the directionof arrow 5, the shipper-fork y shifts the belt from the loose to the fast pulley, thereby operating the drying-machine- When, however, rod Q moves in the direction of arrow 6, a spring U moves the belt shipper so as to move the belt from the fast to the loose pulley, thereby stopping the drying-machine. The rod Q has a locking-notch z, with which engages a locking-lip r on the short horizontal arm of an elbow locking-lever V, pivoted to the frame N. To the upper end of the elbow-lever V is pivoted a substantially horizontal armature-lever W, which at one end carries the armature of the electro-magnet M and on its other end a catch X, which co-operates with a projecting studYon the sliding bar P. The end of the armature-lever W which carries the catch X is the heavier, so that. normally the armature is held up away from the magnet M, and the catch X is below and out of the path of the stud Y. A stop-pin q prevents the heavy end of the lever W dropping too low down. When the electric circuit is closed by the occurrence of a defect of the character referred to in the warp or bundle of threads, the magnet M is excited, thereby attracting its armature and lifting the catch X of the armature-lever Winto the path of the stud Y on the reciprocating bar P. If the bar P happens then to be moving in the direction of arrow 7 and also happens to be back of the catch X, said stud will simply encounter the beveled rear face of said catch and the armature-lever will swing harmlessly out of the way. When, however, the stud Y is forward of catch Xand travelingin the direction of arrow 8, the stud encounters the vertical front face of the catch, and hence swings the armature-lever, and with it the locking-lever V on the pivot of the lever W, thereby lifting the locking-lip 1" out of the notch z in the reciprocating rod Q. When the rod Q is thus released, it is at once moved in the direction of the arrow 6 by the spring R, thereby permitting the spring w to close the steam-pipe S, (or the spring U to shift the belt to the loose pulley,) thus stopping the motion of the drying-cylinders. The stopping of the drying-machine is thus accomplished almost instantaneously and before the defective part of the warp or bundle of threads can reach the leading-in guide a of the drying-machine. 1 When the machine is thus stopped, the defeet is remedied, the circuitrcontrolling lever G is restored to its normal position, thus breaking the electric circuit, and the rod Q, is

pulled back by handle t until its notch 2' is. again engaged by lip 0", thus starting the dry-' ing-machine and leavingthe parts in opera it is properlybrought between the electrodes J K and that the material acted upon is properly replaced in the guide of the lever, and it is important that when the lever G is lifted it should remain lifted, since otherwise it might drop back and separate the electrodes before the stop Y had time to encounter the catch X of the stopping mechanism.

The stopping devices thus described can be conveniently usedforindicating when the end of a warp or bundle of threads has passed the entrance-guide b on its way to the drying-cylinders and for then automatically stopping the machine. By tying a knot at the end of each warp or bundle of threads as it is put in the transferring box or receptacle the drying-cylinders will be stopped when the end is reached.

If desirable, an electric bell can be introduced into the electric circuit at any convenient point, so as to call attention to the stoppage of the machine. In Fig. 1 an electric bell 10 is shown as included in a circuit 11, (indicated by dotted lines,) connected at its terminals with the wire 1. In case such a bellcircuit is employed it will be understood that the portion of the line-wire 1 between the terminals of the circuit 11 will be omitted, so that the bell-magnets will be in series with the stop-magnet M; also, push-buttons can be in troduced into shunts around the breaks (atJ K) in the main circuit and arranged at convenient accessible points, thereby enabling the machine to be stopped at will. As illustrating this feature, a shunt circuit 12 is shown connecting the Wires 1 and 3, which is controlled by a push-button, switch, or key 13.

The stopping mechanism proper, which is set in operation by the magnet, is a convenient one, since it enables a considerable force to be brought into action for stopping the machine.

It is obvious that the stopping devices thus described are not limited in their application The described construction is.

to drying-machines. They can be conveniently applied to the machines for dyeing and sizing the warp and to other textile and other classes of machinery where a material is acted upon which is liable to have enlargements of a defective character. The stopping mechanism can also be applied to any character of machinery where automaticity of stoppage is desired.

I claim as my invention-- 1. A stopping mechanism and an electric circuit including an electric generator and an electro-magnet, which controls said stopping mechanism, said electric circuit terminating in separated electrodes, in combination with a movable circuit-controller movable between and from said electrodes, said circuit-controller having a guide through which the material acted upon in its normal condition freely passes, but which does not permit the passage of a tangle, knot, or equivalent obstruction. enlargement, or defect in said material, and said movable circuit-controller having a portion which is normally located between said electrodes, substantially as set forth, whereby upon the occurrence of a tangle, knot, or equivalent obstruction, enlargement, or defect in the material acted upon said movable circuit-controller is moved by the material from between said electrodes, and the normal condition of the electric circuit is changed, thereby stopping the machine.

2. A stopping mechanism and a normallyopen electric circuit including an electric generator and an electro-magnet, which controls said stopping mechanism, said electric circuit terminating in normally-separated springelectrodes, ,in combination with a movable circuit-controller movable between and from said electrodes, said circuit-controller consisting of a pivoted lever having an insulated portion, which is normally located between and separates said spring-electrodes, said pivoted lever having a guide through which the material acted upon in its normal condition freely passes, but which does not permit the passage of a tangle, knot, or equivalent obstruction, enlargement, or defect in said material, on the occurrence of which said lever is moved by the material from between said electrodes, and the latter come together, thus closing the electric circuit and stopping the machine, substantially as set forth.

3. A defect-detector having two separated guidesbc, between which material being acted upon passes, two normally-separated springelectrodes, a stopping mechanism, and an electric circuit terminating in said electrodes, said circuit including a generator and an electro-magnet, which controls the operation of said stopping mechanism, in combination with a pivoted circuit-controlling lever, said lever having two separated arms located between said guides b a, between which arms the material passes in its path between said guides b c, and said lever having a portion which is normally located between said springelectrodes, thereby separating the same, substantially as set forth.

4. A frame having two separated guides 11 and c, in combination with a circuit-controller having an open guide located between said guides 17 c, said controller being movable between said guides b o, the guide of said controller being when the controller is in one position in the line between said guides b and 0, but being out of said line when said controller is in another of its positions, substantially as set forth.

5. The circuit-controller G, having a guide through which the material acted upon in its normal condition freely passes, but which prevents the passage of a tangle, knot, or equivalent obstruction, enlargement, or defect in said material, in combination with the terminal spring-electrodes J and K, which tend to approach each otherandwhich grasp and hold said circuit-controller between them during the passage of said material in its normal condition, but which permit said circuit-controller to be Withdrawn from between them on the occurrence of a tangle, knot, or equivalent defect in said material, substantially as set forth.

6. The pivoted circuit-controlling lever occupying normally a horizontal position and having a guide through which the material acted upon in its normal condition freely passes, but which prevents the passage of a tangle, knot, or equivalent obstruction, enlargement, or defect in said material, in combination with the terminal spring-electrodes J and K, which tend to approach each other and which grasp and hold said lever in its normal horizontal position during the passage of said material in its normal condition, but which permit said lever to be withdrawn from between them on the occurrence of such a defect, and a weight connected with said lever for maintaining it away from said electrodes when displaced by the occurrence of a defect in the material, substantially as set forth.

7. The lever G, having a guide between which material in its normal condition freely passes, but which does not permit the passage of a tangle, knot, or other equivalent obstr 11c tion, enlargement, or defect, said guide being formed by two arms adjustable to and from each other, whereby the guideway may be adjusted to accommodate varying sizes of the material in its normal condition, substantially as set forth.

8. The frame A, having entrance guideopening I) and upper guide-opening 0 above said guide-opening b, the overbalanced leyer G, pivoted to said frame, said lever having guide-arms t' t, with an open guide-space between them, said lever occupying normally a horizontal position between said guide-openings b and c, with its arms 6 2' across said guideopening Z7, whereby a warp or bundle of threads in traveling from opening I) to opening 0 passes between said arms 2' i, and a tangle, knot, or similar defect in said warp lifts said lever, and said lever having a circu tbreaking block I of insulating material, 1n combination with a stopping mechanism an electric circuit including a generator and an witnesses.

SAMUEL L. FOSTER. Witnesses:

THOS. J. BOWEN, J r., HENRY J. ORIPPEN. 

